


Reports of Valiitha Direnni, Blades Agent to the Thalmor

by joyofthejoui



Series: The Varo'verse [5]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Gen, Thalmor, non-graphic discussion of a gruesome murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2019-10-24 02:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17696087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joyofthejoui/pseuds/joyofthejoui
Summary: A Blades Agent in Summerset reports on the rise of the Thalmor.These reports by Blades/Thalmor triple agent Valiitha Direnni (three so far) will probably end up spanning centuries. Written as "apocrypha" for r/teslore. Technically a prequel to "The Bonds of Civility" as Lord Andanyon is Cecilia Varo's great-grandfather, but completely independent of that story.Chapter 3: 4E 29: The Coup. The Third Aldmeri Dominion is officially founded, and Queen Mother Morgiah of Firsthold makes a hard decision.





	1. 3E 415, The Murder

**Twenty-First of Last Seed, 3E 415**

  **Report of Valiitha Direnni, Blades Agent assigned to the Imperial Province of Summerset regarding her informal investigation into the murder of Eranwen, Crown Princess of Shimmerene.**

Princess Eranwen’s very public and gruesome murder on the night of 19th of Sun’s Height has certainly shaken the rulers and people of Summerset. Eranwen was undertaking week-long traditional rites at the Monastery of Serene Harmony when assassins gained entry to the complex and murdered the princess, her guards, and some of the monks present. The murder itself was probably performed quickly – a blade to the princess’ heart is thought to have been the fatal blow. But not content with killing their target, the assassins cut her body to pieces, and then carried out the bloody body parts to several places within the city. The princess’ head was dumped in a market square, while parts of her body were thrown over the walls into the compounds of the King’s mansion and the houses of various officials and nobles. The purpose of these gruesome deliveries was probably two-fold: both to instill terror and to render these high houses ritually impure. (The rites for restoring purity after such a sacrilege are still ongoing and have interfered with and delayed the proper rites of mourning. The killers could not have chosen a better way to disrupt the court of Shimmerene.)

Official investigations have been carried out by the Shimmerene authorities and the High King’s Justiciars, and the blame affixed to a local terrorist group called The Beautiful. I’ve previously reported this group’s failed and frankly amateur attack on the Crystal Tower. If this is their work, it will be their most successful operation to date. I have affixed a copy of the Justiciars’ report to this document. Let me stress I have no reason to distrust these investigators’ conclusions but since the case involves the highest ranking nobles of Summerset, an outside perspective is clearly needed.

Eranwen was sixty-four years of age, the first child of King Teliantar and his wife Estindil. Eranwen had two younger brothers: Morandur, forty-three (now heir to his father), and Andanyon, thirty-eight. At the time of her death, Eranwen was preparing for her wedding to Prince Meraedil, a cousin of the High King of Alinor.

(Note: Of course, the titles and ranks used by the Altmer of Summerset are inconsistent. King Teliantar is the hereditary ruler of Shimmerene, and is officially referred to by that title in communications with the Empire. But within Shimmerene itself, he is more usually referred to in the ancient Aldmeri fashion as High Kinlord of Shimmerene. There is a marked movement towards eschewing Imperial terminology within the Isles.)

The princess’ murder is a clear set-back for Imperial interests in Summerset. Eranwen was a voice for unity within the Empire. Eighteen years ago, she was a key figure in negotiating peace with Valenwood after the War of the Blue Divide, a war which we have good reason to believe she privately opposed. Her younger brothers in contrast are connected to the Thalmor, that largely obsolete artefact of the province’s governance pre-Empire.

(Please refer to my previous reports for details on the Thalmor’s current state. I have noted before that this group of mage-scholars’ influence is increasing, but as they had no allies among the rulers of Summerset, they have not been considered a serious threat to Imperial interests. After the Siege of Alinor, the local Kings and Queens of Summerset bowed their heads to Tiber Septim or lost their thrones; their heirs today are well aware of how much they owe the Emperor. Support for the Thalmor is more prevalent among the Sapiarchs and lower nobility of Summerset.)

The most obvious benefactor from Eranwen’s death is her younger brother, the new Crown Prince, and his advisors in the Thalmor. The relationship between Eranwen and her brothers was cordial but distant, as might be expected from the gap in their ages. There was no hint of discord within the family, despite their varying political inclinations, and since the murder, no evidence has emerged to implicate the Crown Prince in his sister’s death. Morandur, like the rest of his family, seems quite sincere in his grief. I only bring up the possibility of his involvement for the sake of a complete report.

I have very little access to the Shimmerene court, but I took the opportunity to present my condolences on behalf of the Direnni, as little welcome as that was. The Shimmerene officials seemed mystified at my presumption – they think very little of us “exiles” – but I was allowed to converse with the younger prince, Andanyon. Our conversation was longer and more informative than I dared hope. I had expected him to be a traditionalist, and I think in many ways, he is, but his view of the larger world is broader than I have been accustomed to meeting among Summerset’s nationalists.

 _“Hateful lunatics,”_  he said of The Beautiful.  _“But they must sense how rotten and dusty our society has become. And yet, instead of returning to our ancient roots, they can only tear down what is truly beautiful.”_

I asked him point blank then, ignoring all protocol, what a return to these ancient roots would entail; closing Summerset to the outside world yet again? He shook his head.

_“So we can waste away in luxury and corruption until we’re prey for another warlord? No, we must look outward. We must stand with our kin across Tamriel. With Valenwood. With Balfiera. With all mer. Or we will all perish.”_

In conclusion, I did not find out any new information about the murder of the Princess, but I think I am being recruited into the Thalmor. I have stayed non-commital, and will await your opinion on how to proceed.

**Note in Blades’ Archive, attached to this report. Valiitha Direnni is currently on duty as our agent within the Thalmor, see her dossier for management details.**

* * *

 

**Relevant section pg. 359 of “The Full History of the Blades: Vol. III’ by Esbern of Sky Haven Temple.**

_For two centuries, Valiitha Direnni served as the Blades’ highest-ranking agent within the Thalmor. We know now of course that she became the Thalmor’s mole within the Blades, and was personally responsible for arranging the deaths of most of the victims of the Thirtieth of Frostfall. Reading her reports, it is difficult to pinpoint the moment at which she truly switched sides, but her report on the Crown Princess of Shimmerene’s death demonstrates the early development of her sympathies._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The murder of the daughter of the King of Shimmerene by the Beautiful is mentioned in The Pocket Guide to the Empire, Third Edition, which appears in *Oblivion*. The cutting up of the body and distributing to aristocrats' homes to make them ritually impure is shamelessly stolen from an 1863 political murder in Kyoto, in which terrorists thus threatened members of the Japanese Imperial court who opposed their agenda.
> 
> The original r/teslore post with all the interesting discussion about the Thalmor which it spawned can be read [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/altsp2/3e_415_report_of_valiitha_direnni_blades_agent/).
> 
> Regarding the central mystery of who killed Eranwen, I wrote:  
>  _I actually decided I wouldn't decide who was behind the princess' murder in the end, that I'm in the dark about it, but with a very strong suspicion of the Thalmor, of course. I will say Eranwen's next-oldest brother wasn't involved at all, but her youngest brother is a shady enough character to have been._


	2. 4E 16: The Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second of Blades agent Valiitha Direnni's reports from Summerset on the rise of the Thalmor. Direnni was first a Blades agent, then was recruited by the Thalmor. The Blades considered her their agent within the Thalmor, the Thalmor their agent with the Blades. Eventually, she went over entirely to the Thalmor, but her true loyalties at any point in her career are uncertain.

**Report of Valiitha Direnni, Blades Agent assigned to infiltrate the Thalmor, regarding dissension in the Court of Shimmerene**

**Third of Rain’s Hand, 4E 16**

Trouble has arisen again within the Kingdom of Shimmerene, this time over the upcoming nuptials of the crown prince Morandur.

The groom is, of course, a widower of the Oblivion Crisis. His late wife Nariya was a princess of Alinor, close kin to the High King. That marriage was arranged to strengthen the weakening bonds of fealty from Shimmerene to Alinor and (by proxy) the Empire. Morandur’s elder sister, the unfortunate Princess Eranwen, had been similarly betrothed to a prince of Alinor before her murder many years ago.

(Incidentally, the deaths of Princess Nariya and her young son at the hands of the Daedra were witnessed by many, so please stop sending me inquiries about possible conspiracies. Not every death that takes place among the Summerset great houses is a secret murder. You saw the destruction the Daedra wrought in Cyrodiil, now imagine that a dozen times over in Summerset. They call it The Great Anguish here for good reason)

The current controversy surrounds Morandur’s choice of bride. Lady Ilantuwe is the daughter of his old tutor, not the scion of another royal house. Her father was an honoured scholar and mage from an illustrious bloodline, and in his later days, he held a seat upon the Thalmor Council, but he and his wife were not elevated enough to supply a prince’s consort.

Or so argue the prince’s hoary old relatives and their supporters among the court’s officials. Morandur’s supporters argue that these particular distinctions of rank are corrupt customs taken up in slavish imitation of the mannish Empire. The ancient Aldmeri way, they argue, treasured righteous scholars of good breeding rather than greedy opportunists who bowed to foreign powers.

Let me be clear. No one in this dispute is arguing that lineage is unimportant. Lady Ilantuwe’s lineage and traits have been closely examined and approved by the sapiarchs who support Morandur. Instead, this crisis should be understood as a subtle attack on the legitimacy of Summerset’s ruling houses under the Empire. The Kings and Queens of Summerset’s kingdoms are members of ancient families who have ruled the Isles for thousands of years, but they are also descended from those who bowed to Tiber Septim after the Siege of Alinor. In Alinor itself, our Emperor installed a minor member of the previous ruling family as High King. In Shimmerene, the Queen of that time kept her throne by swearing fealty to the Emperor. Every ruler in Summerset owes some of their legitimacy to the Empire that has allowed them to rule, and the Thalmor point to that as proof of their illegitimacy.

Prince Morandur and Lady Ilantuwe appear to be a love match. He rescued her from the Deadlands when her parents and elder brother had perished, and the attachment grew from there. But that romance would not have progressed towards marriage if his Thalmor advisers had not promoted it.

You know that I am on excellent terms with the younger prince of Shimmerene, Andanyon, who indeed first approached me on the Thalmor’s behalf. The King of Shimmerene’s chancellor has lately accused Andanyon of orchestrating this marriage as an attack on his own family’s legitimacy.

Andanyon seems more amused than outraged by these accusations. He has little to fear from his enemies within the court. He’s a hero of the Oblivion Crisis, credited with leading a band of fearless Thalmor warriors and mages who closed three Oblivion gates. On a personal level, I believe he has promoted this match because of his attachment to Ilantuwe’s father, his old tutor. On a practical level, he’s served the Thalmor’s interest in pushing his brother into this defiance.

I’ve discussed with Andanyon many times the future of Shimmerene should the Thalmor take some position of official power within the Isles. He believes that his father the King will have to relinquish some of his privileges and power but he assures me that the Kinhouse of Shimmerene will weather the storm, should its members show a correct and humble reverence for the way of their ancestors.

This current crisis will probably be resolved by a great number of deaths. The debate has become so open and reached an extreme point where neither side can back down. Suicides, duels and executions will eventually follow. The death penalty is rarely exacted in the Isles, with exile as the much preferred punishment, but an insult to the pedigree of the crown prince’s bride, the mother of the kingdom’s future heirs, is akin to the vilest treason. Unless there is some unexpected reverse in the Thalmor’s fortunes, I expect Lady Ilantuwe’s partisans to prevail. The King, who is reported to disapprove of the match, is weak compared to his sons, and will probably acquiesce to the marriage.

I know that all I report is grim for the Empire’s future in Summerset, but I can only write of what I see. If Imperial officials are interested in negotiating some relationship with the Thalmor, the time to act is now.

As a supposed lackey of the Thalmor, and a friend to Prince Andanyon, I am certain to be invited to the wedding feast, though probably only to a table in the outermost courts of the royal palace where we’ll toast the newlyweds and never see them. Still, the food and wine should be excellent, and I’ll report on the proceedings and whom I meet and talk with when the wedding happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Morandur and Ilantuwe are in my universe the future parents of Elenwen, so you can count the marriage as either a great success for the Thalmor or a disaster for Ulfric Stormcloak.  
> I've been interested in the tension between the Thalmor as guardians of The True Aldmeri Way and the fact that they came to power by overthrowing the Kings and Queens of Summerset, and pursuing an interventionist agenda abroad. This piece explores some of that tension, and how a more populist movement could use the ideals of elitism and conservatism.  
> The severity of this sort of lineage dispute is inspired by dialogue from the Mother of Rats in ESO.
> 
> _\- I forged a document._
> 
> _\- That's all?_
> 
> _\- Well, the ensuing dispute sent forty-three mer to the funeral pyre. It was a patent of lineage, you see. Kinlords take that sort of thing very seriously. Insufferable._  
> 
> This piece was originally posted on /r/teslore and the excellent resulting discussion about Thalmor lore can be read [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/atlm42/4e_16_report_of_valiitha_direnni_blades_agent/). I'm finding Direnni a useful viewpoint for this sort of exploration, so I'm sure there'll be more, though I don't know if they'll all be in chronological order.


	3. 4E 29: The Coup

**Report of Valiitha Direnni, Blades Agent assigned to infiltrate the Thalmor, regarding the events of the Thalmor Coup in Alinor and Firsthold**

**Sixteenth of Frostfall, 4E 29**

The rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

It was a close thing, however. The establishment of the Thalmor as the new governing body of the Summerset Isles was not the orgy of violence rumoured on the mainland, but there were indeed deaths and it looked for some terrifying hours as though my name might be added to that tally.

For many of the Summerset kingdoms, the actual transfer of power was a formality. As I’ve detailed in my decades of reports, the Thalmor had already taken informal control of the kingdoms’ bureaucracies, with or without the blessings of their rulers. The most prominent exceptions to this trend were the capital of Alinor, a centre of Imperial power in the Isles, and Firsthold, with its Imperialized Dunmer queen mother, Morgiah.

I am still waiting for detailed reports on the events in Alinor during the transition. My contacts within the Thalmor are very circumspect about current circumstances in the capital city. All roads into Alinor have been blocked off and the harbour closed to shipping. There were definitely violent clashes in Alinor between the High King’s guard and the troops of the newly incorporated Dominion, but I’ll be very surprised if the death toll exceeds a couple hundred. I have heard rumours the High King is one of the dead, and that he took his own life rather than concede defeat, but cannot confirm that yet.

Imperial diplomats in the city of Alinor have been formally expelled from the Isles. After a period of confinement within the Imperial embassy, they were all safely escorted to Sunhold as of three days ago. They are currently waiting there to take ship back to the mainland. I met this morning with Lord Joriff and can confirm he and the rest are in excellent health. He tearfully recounted that he’d been forced to leave behind his personal collection of Cloudrest crystal, but had little insight on the actual events of the takeover.

I can offer a more detailed account of the events in Firsthold, in which I inadvertently became an unwilling participant. On the Second of Frostfall, I received an invitation to the court of Firsthold from the Queen Mother Morgiah. This was not unusual. We have a long acquaintance, first meeting nearly seventy years ago in the court of Wayrest. Since her husband Reman’s assassination five years ago, she has redoubled her overtures of friendship. I’ve long presumed that she wanted something from me, but before this past week, she was evasive what that would be.

She was evasive no longer. Within minutes of my arrival on the morning of the Fourth, Queen Morgiah bluntly stated that she knew I was a double agent: a servant of both the Blades and the Thalmor, and that she did not care to guess where my loyalties lay. I neither confirmed nor denied her charges, staying silent while she spoke on. She said then that my ultimate loyalties did not matter; she was calling on my help to smuggle her son, the young king, out of Firsthold. If I betrayed her trust, she warned, the Blades would have no further use for me. She insinuated that she had her own contacts within the Blades and they’d be watching to see if I fulfilled her request.

You will know best whether any of her claims were true, but I judged that the Grandmaster would want me to assist the king’s escape. Morgiah was very business-like and calm as we planned his exit. King Goranthir had previously stated his intention to stay in Firsthold and die defending his father’s throne, so Morgiah had already procured the Alchemical ingredients for a potion to drug her son into an easily-managed stupor. She was relying on me to arrange his transport out of Firsthold.

I spent the next few hours putting the fear of the gods and the Blades into a stubborn Breton shipmaster who was ready to depart Firsthold for Stros M’Kai, but refused to carry the King. At that point, although the royal family still had control of the city, Thalmor inspectors were on the docks, and two vessels of the newly-formed (and as then unofficial) Dominion Navy were patrolling the coast. Master Theobald Ancois was at last swayed by a promise of a hefty payment in two instalments: a deposit of gold and jewelry from Morgiah, and then payment from our order of three thousand drakes. You may decide whether to pay the man the full amount when he inquires for it.

Unfortunately, I had to use my credentials as an affiliate of the Thalmor to arrange Goranthir’s exit. I used the real seal off a letter of transit granted me by the Thalmor Council to forge a letter authorizing me to export goods to Thalmor agents in Stros M’Kai. This letter convinced the inspectors on the docks. They looked over the ship’s cargo, but since it was a Thalmor export, they did not closely inspect it. If they had, they would have found the unconscious king stuffed under a bale of silks.

Most of the remaining foreigners in Firsthold departed with Master Ancois on the morning of the Fifth. There were some stubborn exceptions, but we were all aware that there would be a transfer of power in the coming days, and the mood in town was not kind towards foreigners, particularly the merchants who are seen here as exploiting the wealth of the Isles.

The official date of the Third Aldmeri Dominion’s foundation was the Seventh of Frostfall, a date with great symbolic importance. In 2E 580, Queen Ayrenn was crowned on that date, beginning the glorious First Aldmeri Dominion. However, the actual fighting in Firsthold began late in the evening of the Fifth. By the morning of the Sixth, the Palace was in the hands of the Thalmor rebels, Morgiah cast into prison, and her son’s absence discovered.

The investigation into Goranthir’s disappearance soon led to my door. I was staying at a local inn. In the midst of my luncheon, soldiers broke in to drag me out into the streets where the mob was out for blood. The Dark Queen was out of their reach, so they’d be happy to execute me instead. I thought I was finished, especially when I saw the heads of some of the dockworkers I’d bribed on pikes. However, calmer minds prevailed. The commander of the new Dominion force here in Firsthold realized that, as I did have certain credentials with the Thalmor, my superiors should be allowed to deal with me.

I was thrown into a jail cell with an angry Nibenese banker who’d been in denial of the coming coup. He blamed the whole affair on Titus Mede "not showing these elves how things really are.” I got no sleep that night.

The morning of the Seventh, Justiciars arrived in Firsthold who examined my forgery and confirmed that I’d stolen the seal off another letter completely. Apparently, they agreed that I would probably be executed as a traitor, but argued that it was in the Dominion’s best interests to let the newly-reinstated Divine Prosecution handle the matter. Since the new government was busy with other business, I’d gained a small reprieve. (I don’t know what happened to the banker; they took him out of the cell the next day.)

My fortunes took a turn for the better on the Tenth, when my most important and friendly Thalmor contact, Andanyon of Shimmerene, arrived in Firsthold to inspect the transition. He was not pleased with the forgery but took the time to visit me in my cell and ask after my reasoning. Andanyon knows my connection to the Blades, it’s why the Thalmor recruited me after all. (Yes, they hope they have won me to their side, but you know that I report all of their business to you.) He agreed that I could not have disregarded Morgiah’s request and still maintained my place in the Blades.

Later that day, the local Justiciars received an order for my release. I was asked to report to Sunhold, which is where I am currently residing. I am, of course, under surveillance, but have had complete freedom in my movements around the city. As mentioned, I met with the Imperial ambassadors today.

I believe that I will not be punished too severely for my actions in Firsthold, if at all, but of course, you must be prepared for all eventualities. If all goes well, I will soon try to make my way into Alinor to report on the conditions there.

As for Queen Morgiah, my contacts within the Thalmor tell me that they are considering an official trial of some sort with a public verdict. Traditionalist Altmer here are not fond of the Dunmer in general, and there is enough dirt on Morgiah personally to make her a cathartic target for the public outrage. Her son might have been pitied; she will not be.

Goranthir is presumably safely away from the Isles. It was Morgiah’s wish that he join his sister Rinnala in Cheydinhal, but he certainly has a will of his own and may defy that wish too. I’m certain you have at least one agent in Stros M’Kai who will have taken up that case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is related to another piece I wrote [The Real Morgiah](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19410583). Valiitha Direnni was in fact the Blades agent who passed on some of the information against Morgiah to the Thalmor author of that piece, and Andanyon was the one who took the letter and edited into a propaganda pamphlet against Morgiah. That piece explores in full all the things that would make the Dunmer queen an enemy of the Thalmor.
> 
> I definitely felt Morgiah would be canny enough to get her kids out. Count Indarys in Cheydinhal is an old friend of Helseth's, so that's where her daughter Rinnala is.


End file.
